Hipster Names for Boys and Girls
- Clive
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"lives near a high cliff"Description:
Clive started life as a surname for someone who lived near a cliff, making it a secret outdoorsy name.
- Solange
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"solemn"Description:
This is a soft, soignée French girls' namethat has become familiar here via singer Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce.
- Reef
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Modern surfer boy. Just don't call him Reefer.
- Dinah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God will judge"Description:
As the song says, "Dinah, is there anyone finer?" Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume.
- Mercury
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"Roman messenger god"Description:
Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman god Mercury, which derives from the Latin words for trade or wages, is the patron of tradesmen and travelers and the fastest-moving planet in the solar system. Mercury is the planet associated with the sign of Virgo, so this is one of the prime names for Virgo babies.
- Wednesday
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"Woden's day"Description:
Name made famous by the macabre character Wednesday – middle name: Friday – Addams is taken from the name of the day dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon god Woden, who relates to Mercury. Cartoonist author Charles Addams was said to choose the name because "Wednesday's child is full of woe."
- Kip
Origin:
American diminution of ChristopherDescription:
Kip Thorne, nobel laureate and long-time colleague of Stephen Hawking, is just one of several Kips who don't have a longer name.
- Ennis
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"from the island"Description:
An appealing Irish placename with a unisex feel, Ennis would be a fresh alternative to Dennis and Ellis. It's little-used for boys and even rarer for girls, but since Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons used it for their son, it could be one to watch.
- Imogene
- Theodosia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"giving to God"Description:
This feminine form of Theodosius has long been buried deep in the attic, but might be a good discovery for the parent who wants to move beyond Theodora. Vice President Aaron Burr named a daughter Theodosia ("Dear Theodosia" is a song in the smash musical Hamilton), and it was the birth name of silent screen vamp Theda Bara. Theodosia actually appeared on the US popularity lists in the 1880s and 90s.
- Mccoy
Origin:
Irish variation of McKayMeaning:
"fire"Description:
One of numerous usable Irish and Scottish surnames starting with Mac and Mc, this is the real McCoy. McCoy Tyner, the well-known jazz pianist, is one of the few to use this very cool name. Bonus: Nickname Mac.
- Elvis
Origin:
Meaning unknownDescription:
When the King was alive, and for years afterwards, few people (except Declan McManus who became Elvis Costello) dared use his singular name, but now it's very much up for grabs.
- Ike
Origin:
Diminutive of IsaacDescription:
Ike, once the quirky one-person nickname of President Dwight Eisenhower, has morphed into a cool kid nickname of the early 21st century.
- Pepper
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"berry"Description:
Parents are beginning to scan the whole spice shelf for inspiration, picking up on Saffron, Sage, and Cinnamon -- and opening up a chance for this spiciest possibility of all; used for peppy TV characters.
- Apolline
Origin:
French form of ApolloniaDescription:
Apolline is a luscious French name chic in Paris and ripe for the plucking in the English-speaking world. Derived from the mythological name Apollo, the name may mean strength; Apollo was the god of sun and light. Apolline is a perfect choice for those attracted to the name Apple who don't want to go quite that far.
- Zadie
Origin:
English variation of SadieMeaning:
"princess"Description:
When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like a modern initial-switch, Zadie was actually Number 539 in 1881, remaining in the Top 1000 for almost thirty years.
- Sigrid
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"fair victory"Description:
Sigrid is a distinctly Scandinavian name that is starting to edge out into the wider world, a la cousin Ingrid. Unfortunately, short form Siri is now off the table, but Sigrid is still a possibility.
- Oswald
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"divine power"Description:
Despite the success of so many O-starting boys names--Oliver, Owen, Otis, Oscar--Oswald has not yet shown any signs of resurrection, though he does have the animating nicknames Ozzie/Ozzy and Oz. The name has some literary cred--in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's King Lear and a novel by H. G.Wells--and there was early cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
- Gertrude
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"strength of a spear"Description:
Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?
- Bee
Origin:
Animal name or diminutive of BeatriceMeaning:
"she who brings happiness"Description:
We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha Bee, not to mention Aunt Bee on the old The Andy Griffith Show TV show. Bee can theoretically be short for any girl names starting with B.